Excerpts
A pay scale helps to plan ongoing reasonable compensation for Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) and Assistants. It provides a salary structure and a predictable path for staff compensation. A centre can increase staff recruitment, satisfaction and motivation by having an open, fair and equitable pay scale that is used consistently.
Research in child care has shown that the training, experience and stability of caregivers are key determinants of quality of care. The development of a fair pay scale supports adequate compensation for staff which can provide stability to the workforce and determines how staff will receive increases to compensation over time.
It is the responsibility of the Board of Directors/operators to represent the centre as a whole and to make financial and policy decisions that support a stable, high-quality program.
A pay scale:
- is a way of clearly communicating to staff how they will progress in their salary level within a job category based on years of service and/or on other defined criteria
- can provide staff with confidence that staff are treated fairly and equitably within the organization
- can provide an incentive for staff in a certain position to advance to more highly-paid positions through additional education or experience
- can provide a framework for operators to achieve and maintain reasonable salaries for RECEs and assistants to enhance recruitment and retention
- allows operators to better project costs and plan budgets
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